The Stone Inside

Lexile: 870 | Grade: 6

Passage

They say I’m quiet, like a stream,

Soft-spoken, slow, a fading dream.

But streams carve stone with patient grace,

They shape the earth, they shift the place.

They say I’m small, a passing breeze,

Too light to matter, quick to please.

But breezes stir the tallest trees,

And whisper change across the seas.

They say I’m kind, too much, too fast,

Like kindness makes a person last.

But kindness grows where hate can’t stay—

A stubborn root, a brighter way.

So if I’m quiet, small, or kind,

Don’t think there’s nothing strong to find.

Inside my chest, a stone I keep—

Not cold—but calm, and firm, and deep.